''My Oxford Year'' is a 2025 American romantic

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

directed by

Iain Morris Iain Kevan Morris (born 6 August 1973) is an English writer. He is best known for creating ''The Inbetweeners'' with his writing partner Damon Beesley and co-hosting a show on London radio station XFM with stand-up comedian Jimmy Carr. He feat ...

and written by Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne, inspired by the novel of the same name by

Julia Whelan Julia May Whelan (born May 8, 1984) is an American actress, narrator and author. As an actress, she is best known for her role as Grace Manning on the television family drama series ''Once and Again'' (1999–2002), and her co-starring role in th ...

, which was adapted from Burnett’s original screenplay. It stars

Sofia Carson Sofia Lauren Daccarett Char (born April 10, 1993), known professionally as Sofia Carson, is an American actress and singer. Her first appearance on television was as a guest star on the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally'' (2014). In 2015, ...

and Corey Mylchreest.

Plot

Anna De La Vega is an intelligent American student travelling to study Victorian poetry for a year at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. On her first day she gets splashed by Jamie Davenport in his car. Later, she finds out that he will be teaching one of her classes. The two mock each other initially, but spend a fun night together which involves Anna's first time in a pub. However, Jamie seemingly rejects her at the end of the night which leads to Anna deciding to make him jealous by dancing with another man. The next day Jamie shows her a special book, and the two reconcile and have sex, with both agreeing that their relationship isn't serious. Anna talks to Cecilia, a close friend of Jamie, who warns her away. Over the months, they become closer and finally Jamie invites Anna to his place. Jamie reveals that his brother Eddie passed away, and he and his father do not talk anymore. In the morning, Jamie appears distant. Anna attends the Oxford vs Cambridge boat race in London with her friends, but she has not seen Jamie for a week due to his studying. However, she finds out that he has not been at the library in weeks, and that Cecilia has also been busy for a week. Anna angrily goes to his place to confront him and finds Cecilia. However, Jamie appears to be sick and receiving medical treatment, and becomes very angry at seeing Anna. Later, Jamie tells Anna that Eddie had cancer and that Cecilia was his girlfriend. The cancer was genetic and Jamie is now suffering, too. What Anna saw was his last treatment and he won't do any more due to the pain, which is why his father is angry. Jamie says that Anna shouldn't waste her time on him, but Anna references one of their first conversations and says he shouldn't suffer alone. Jamie agrees to take Anna to the ball where they meet Jamie's parents. Anna talks with Jamie's dad where he talks about how he wants Anna to convince Jamie to return home to have the best possible treatment. Jamie is still dismissive, and at the end of the night, Jamie is weak and collapses at home. He is sent to hospital to recover and Anna sees Jamie's father outside, upset. For Anna's birthday, she drives Jamie's car to visit the grand castle he grew up in, where she is surprised by her friends for a celebration. Jamie continues to avoid his father who talks about a new drug but Jamie does not want to spend the time he has left in a hospital. Jamie reveals to Anna that Eddie died at the castle. After her present opening, Anna finds Jamie reconciled with his father building a model car that Anna gifted to him, as they did when Jamie and Eddie were younger. Anna's friends find out that Jamie has cancer, and Anna tells Jamie she loves him. Anna receives a birthday call from her parents, and tells her mother she is remaining in England instead of returning to New York to take her job. Jamie is angry at Anna's decision against her future and they argue, causing Anna to sleep in a separate room and Jamie to smash the model car his father and he worked on. Anna decides to go back to America due to Jamie not wanting her to stay. She graduates, and has not spoken with Jamie. They talk again, and Anna wants to remain with Jamie while he fears she will regret it, but they eventually reconcile and have sex. The next morning, Anna finds Jamie unresponsive. In hospital, a doctor reveals that Jamie has developed a critical case of pneumonia as the cancer has weakened his immune system, and he requires treatment. Jamie's father finally understands Jamie's wish and refuses. Jamie and Anna dream of travelling together as he passes away in her arms. A time skip shows Anna going on to travel Europe alone, and eventually teaching the same class Jamie taught her in.

Cast

as Anna De La Vega, a postgraduate student at the University of Oxford, born to a Hispanic family and raised in the United States. She graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

with summa cum laude and received a job offer from

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...

. She chose to defer her job offer to pursue a Master’s degree in English Language & Literature (1830-1914) with a particular interest in Victorian Poetry at Oxford. * Corey Mylchreest as Jamie Davenport, a DPhil student and tutor in English, specifically Victorian Poetry. He has several girlfriends. Born into an upper-class family. He has inherited a genetic predisposition to cancer. *

Dougray Scott Stephen Dougray Scott (born 26 November 1965) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared in the films '' Ever After'' (1998), '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000), '' Enigma'' (2001), '' Ripley's Game'' (2002), ''Hitman'' (2007), and '' My Week with Mar ...

as William Davenport, Jamie's father *

Catherine McCormack Catherine Jane McCormack (born April 3, 1972) is an English actress. Her film appearances include ''Braveheart'' (1995), '' The Land Girls'' (1998), '' Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' (1998), ''Spy Game'' (2001), and ''28 Wee ...

as Antonia Davenport, Jamie's mother * Harry Trevaldwyn as Charlie Butler *

Hugh Coles Hugh Coles is an English film and television actor. He is known for his roles in ''The Festival'' (2018), ''Defending the Guilty'' (2019) and ''Atlanta'' (2022) as well as originating the role of George McFly in '' Back to the Future: The Mus ...

as Ridley * Poppy Gilbert as Cecelia Knowles *

Barney Harris Barney Alexander Harris (born 15 July 1996) is an English actor, writer and producer. He is best known for playing Mat Cauthon in season one of the Amazon Prime Video fantasy series ''The Wheel of Time''. Early life and education Harris was born ...

as Ian

Production

The film is directed by

and written by Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne, inspired by the novel of the same name by

, which was adapted from Burnett’s original screenplay. Laura Quicksilver and George Berman as producers for

Temple Hill Entertainment Temple Hill Entertainment or Temple Hill Productions is an American film and television production company, established in 2006 by producers Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen. The studio produced the ''Twilight'' film series. In 2020, the studio sig ...

with the film set to be released on streaming service

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. The cast is led by

and Corey Mylchreest. It also includes

, Harry Trevaldwyn, and

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place in September 2024 in England with filming locations including the

at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Magdalen College Magdalen College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, se ...

St Hugh's College St Hugh's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a ...

and

Hertford College Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

, and also in the town of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

Release

''My Oxford Year'' was released on Netflix on August 1, 2025. The film was ranked at number 1 in Netflix's Global Top 10 Movies list as of August 3, 2025.

Reception

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...

'' gave the film a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. The German film website ''film-datenbank.eu'' gave ''My Oxford Year'' 82 out of 100 points.

Honcques Laus Honcques Laus ( zh, t=劉康; born 10 October 2001) is a Hong Kong pro-independence activist and author. He is the founder and chairperson of the and a former student journalist for ''Ming Pao''. During a group photo shoot with Chief Executiv ...

, a scholar at the University of Oxford, critiques the film for its deficiencies in portraying the University’s ceremonies and traditions. For instance, the film misconstrues the Master of Arts from Oxford as an academic degree, omits Classical Latin from the

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

ceremony, misrepresents matriculation as a solitary journey, and mislocates the college ball. However, he acknowledges the accurate inclusion of the

subfusc The University of Oxford has a long tradition of academic dress, which continues to the present day. Occasions for use Unlike most other universities, which only usually require it during specific university ceremonies such as graduation, a ...

, the

Sheldonian Theatre The Sheldonian Theatre, in the centre of Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, List of Wardens of All Souls College, Oxford, Wa ...

as the setting for ceremonies, and the use of DPhil as an abbreviation for

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

at Oxford.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:My Oxford Year 2020s American films 2020s English-language films 2025 romantic comedy-drama films 2025 films American romantic comedy-drama films Films based on American novels Films shot in England Films shot in Oxfordshire Films shot in Berkshire Netflix original films Temple Hill Entertainment films Films set in the University of Oxford